Brad Paisley explains 'Accidental Racism' on 'Ellen'

posted by Breanne L. Heldman | Yahoo! Our Country
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3 years ago

(Yahoo!) - You'd think the collaboration between a country star like Brad Paisley and a rapper like LL Cool J would have everyone applauding such a genre mash-up. Instead, the song, "Accidental Racist," has people up in arms.

Thankfully, Paisley paid a visit to "Ellen," where he was able to clear the air.

But first, let's rewind for a sec. In the nearly six-minute track, the two create a dialogue about race relations in America. Paisley, 40, describes being a white man in the South as "walking on eggshells" and details an experience at a coffee shop while wearing a Confederate flag on his shirt. "[I'm] just a proud rebel son with an 'ol can of worms/Lookin' like I got a lot to learn," he sings.

"I don’t know if any of you noticed but there is some racial tension here and there," Paisley explained to Ellen DeGeneres. "[The song] kind of deals with that and I felt like, when we were writing this song, it wasn’t necessarily up to the media. I don’t really trust … Hollywood, sorry … or talk radio or anything like that anymore. I think it's music's turn to have the conversation.

"We're sort of asking the question as a proud Southerner and he is a black New Yorker," the crooner continued. "One of my favorite lines in the song, he says, 'I think the relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixing.' Leave it to a rapper to put it so simply and so beautifully."